UOlivet edges Calvin, 78-76; moves into sole possession of first place in MIAA standings

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet men's basketball team edged Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Calvin University, 78-76, this evening inside the Cutler Event Center. With the win and Hope College's overtime loss, the Comets move into sole possession of first place in the MIAA standings with a 10-1 record.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Olivet 78, Calvin 76
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 13-9 overall, 10-1 MIAA; Calvin 15-7 overall, 7-4 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the first half, the Comets jumped out to a 23-11 lead at the 11:09 mark. The Knights fought back to trim their deficit down to five points twice. After the second time at 30-25, Olivet used a 7-2 run to push its advantage back to 12 points with 3:10 left until halftime. Calvin closed the gap to five points before two Comet free throws made the score 39-32 at the intermission.
• In the second half, Olivet stretched its lead to 11 points, 54-43, at the 15:34 mark. The Knights strung together a 16-4 run to take a one-point lead, 59-58, with 8:37 remaining. Freshman Sean Shenker's deep three-pointer and sophomore Sam Howard's dunk put Olivet back ahead by four points. Junior Conner Schipper then scored three points for 66-59 Comet lead at the 6:59 mark.
• Olivet held the lead until two free throws by Zion Ruckard gave the Knights a 76-75 lead with 54.5 seconds left. Howard missed the go-ahead layup but was fouled when grabbing the rebound. He drained both free throws with 37.7 ticks on the clock to put the Comets ahead 77-76. At the other end, Calvin missed a layup. Sophomore Porter Kretschman split two free throws with 11.6 seconds remaining. A last-second three-pointer for the Knights was off the mark.

FOR THE COMETS

• Shenker scored a team-high 20 points, as he was one of four Olivet players to reach double digits in the scoring column.
• Howard netted 15 points, including 8-of-9 shooting from the free throw line.
• Junior Nathan Richardson added 13 points.
• Schipper contributed 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

UP NEXT

• The Comets travel to play Hope on Saturday at 3 p.m.